Aldo, Mendes trade jabs outside of octagon

Featherweight champion Jose Aldo exchanged harsh words with Chad Mendes after their UFC 176 fight, scheduled for the Aug. 2 at the Staples Center, was called off because Aldo injured himself in a training earlier this month.

"If Aldo can’t stay healthy and is too fragile to go through a training camp," Mendes told MMA Hour, "then I think it is time to step aside and let guys who are able to do that and able to push through all that stuff, to be a champ."

To which Aldo heaped some accusations Mendes’ way.

"Maybe I have so many injuries because I’m not taking the same ‘supplements’ you take," Aldo said in a statement released to Combate. "I have injuries because I train a lot to beat you like I did last time, and I think you remember that and still have nightmares about it. I did all the medical exams I had to do, but if you’re a doctor now, I can send them so you can take a look. Maybe you can prescript one of your supplements so I can heal faster.”

And he went on.

"The one who gets beat up usually runs away from another beating, but you can’t run forever because I’m going after you,” Aldo added. “Before the cage is closed you can say whatever you want, because once they close it you won’t be able to open your mouth, so keep talking while you have a mouth.”

However, Aldo better make sure of the accusations he’s leveling at Mendes because there are drug rumours surrounding him, according to Sherdog Radio.

“The UFC was contacted from the California [State] Athletic Commission from my understanding, and was looking for contact information for all the fighters from UFC 176, and were informed they were going to do pre-fight drugs testing,” Savage said. “Or maybe they weren’t informed, and maybe they inferred it. Apparently the next day, Aldo pulled out. Then when we revisited and asked a couple of people, they said: ‘Oh no, he was hurt four or five days before they announced he was out of the fight. I’m more inclined to believe the first version. It could be a huge coincidence too, and I don’t want to imply anything, but there is that speculation that’s out there and there’s plenty of people talking about it."

There is no word on when the fight will be rescheduled, but later this year seems to be the scuttlebutt.

LAST MINUTE SUB

The highly anticipated fight between Josh Thomson and Michael Johnson was postponed after Johnson withdrew due to an undisclosed injury.

The fight was supposed to be on the undercard of the Matt Brown-Robbie Lawler fight, as part of UFC on Fox 12.

The UFC is now looking for a replacement for Thomson, who is looking to reverse his last loss to Benson Henderson. He is 1-1 as a UFC fighter and 2-3 in his last five fights.

The light heavyweight battle was scheduled to take place on July 26 at the SAP Center in San Jose, Cali.

WHITE TARGETS CARANO

UFC president Dana White is making it a point to get Gina Carano under contract with the company.

White revealed he’s getting together with Carano next week to re-start the talks with the former Strikeforce featherweight after recently signing Holly Holm.

"One down, one to go," White told ESPN.com.

"I’m going to meet with Gina next week and get that f—ing thing done. Next week, man. It’s just a matter of me and Lorenzo going to jump on a plane to Los Angeles, get in a room with her and her lawyer and get this thing done."

White says Carano’s main interest is fighting Ronda Rousey, but there is no word whether she will get a title fight immediately or have to work her way up to the honour.

Carano hasn’t fought since August of 2009 where she lost via first-round TKO to Cristiane Justino. She is 7-1 in her MMA career.

QUICK HITS

Georges St. Pierre said the UFC should adopt a new drug-testing system. "They need to make it like Olympic drug testing," St. Pierre said to AXS TV. "An independent organization that doesn’t have any affiliation with the money of the organizations. The only thing I wanted to do is to raise our sport to another level. If we want that to happen, this is the next step to follow.” … Tared Saffiedine is back in the gym and he’s got himself a target for all his effort. “I was in Belgium when I watched the fight with Rory (McDonald) and Tyron Woodley,” Saffiedine told MMAjunkie. “While I was watching the fight, I had that feeling, you know, the goosebumps. The way he was moving, the way he was punching, the way he was setting up his takedowns, the way he was moving inside the cage, the way he was moving his feet — everything he did, I was thinking, ‘I can beat this guy.’” … UFC flyweight John Dodson’s title hopes are on hold following surgery for a torn ACL and meniscus while training for UFC Fight Night 42 and a re-match with John Moraga.

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